Kingdom Hearts: The World's Bonds
by JBCC84
Summary: Kingdom Hearts is falling apart once again, and it's up to Sora, Riku, Donald, Goofy, and a new member of their team, Mikida, to fix it. Sora feels as if he's seen Mikida before, but it's only in his dreams. Does that let him stop getting closer to her as they repair the lands' bonds? Will he do everything to make sure she lives?
1. Introduction

It was a warm night at Mickey's Castle. Everyone was sound asleep in their beds. The moon was full and high in the sky to signal the fine midnight. The stars stood still or shot through the black sky. The castle's path lights were lit for the latecomers and goers. The path the light shined on was all cobble stone.

Inside the castle, candles lit the hallways. The stain glass windows glimmered with the moon's glow. Those stain glass windows pictured each fairy tale's happy ending. King Mickey Mouse called them happily ever afters. Each picture displayed a happy princess or girl and prince or boy showing how their love bonded them together and how they became happy. The couples in the windows are still happy to this day.

The only window that was colorless was in young Keyblade Bearer Sora's bedroom. All the other rooms were pictured. His was not. At night, Sora would stare at his window, thinking, _What happily ever after will I have?_

When he slept, he dreamt about his body being in a mysterious garden. He did not recognize this garden from his wanderings. He only saw a fountain in the center and rows of flowers, consisting of roses, at his feet.

"Hello?" he called unsurely, "Is anyone out here?"

No response returned.

Sora traveled his way through the garden. The pathway led to the west side of the garden to a gray tower, which did not ring a bell to Sora. "Where am I?" he asked himself. "It looks like Mickey's Castle, but it doesn't have that magic feeling it normally has. Out of all the dreams I have in one night, why am I dreaming this?" Sora slowly turned a corner. He stopped as he saw a lean girl with long, jet-black hair in front of him. "Hey there," he called, "Do you know what this place is?"

She turned to face Sora. Her face was blushed with pink cheeks. Her eyes were gold and gleaming. Her nose was small but perfectly sized for her face. She had lips red as the roses in the flowerbeds. Sora got a glimpse of her outfit. It was a long silver gown with red thread to add detail. The only footwear that Sora could spot was a red slipper from one of her feet showing.

Sora felt flustered being around her, but he managed to speak. "Who are you?" he asked.

The only thing she said was, "The only thing that hurts is loving you without telling you. For long, it hurts deeply."

"What? What do you mean? I don't even know you." Sora was about to touch her until an ear-shattering crash of glass ended his dream.

Sora woke up, startled. "What was that?" He grabbed his Keyblade from the wall just next to his bed and broke his bedroom door open outwards. He saw nothing at first. When he looked to the right, he saw broken glass on the floor. He noticed that a window had been broken. Sora picked up two pieces of the window. One was of Snow White and the other was of her prince, Prince Florian.

"Mickey, we have searched all over the castle," Donald explained as soon as Sora informed the others of what had happened with the glass window, "but no intruder is here. Every guard has checked every last corner."

"Yeah," said Goofy, "No one broke in the castle. We checked twice."

"Three times, you loon," Donald hissed.

"That is completely the opposite of what Sora told me," Mickey replied.

"We found no evidence of a break in either," Donald retorted.

"That is odd. Master Yen Sid would have to figure this out. He'll know what's happening here."

"This can't be right," Sora fought, "The window was broken from the outside. The glass was inside the castle as soon as I came out here."

"Something is fishy about that," Goofy agreed with Sora.

The office doors opened, and Master Yen Sid entered. Recently named Keyblade Master and Sora's closest friend, Riku, followed him inside. "We got your word and rushed over as quickly as possible," Riku said, "Whoever broke in will get a beat down of a lifetime as soon as he is faced with me."

"Patience, Riku, patience," said Master Yen Sid, "There is an explanation to all of this. It's more than just a broken window."

"Then, what's happening, Master?" asked Sora.

"The happily ever afters. They are being destroyed."

The rest of the party jumped in fright. "Destroyed?" they exclaimed in horror.

"But that's impossible!" Mickey said, "Happily ever afters are tightened to the point where they can't."

"Yes, destroyed and possible, Mickey. The darkness is pulling the halves of the couples' hearts apart. Those hearts are called Bonds. For that, they couldn't remember why fate brought them together from the start. If love falls, the Bonds will never be brought together again. Then, the worlds will fall apart as well since there is no one to rule a kingdom with love and passion."

"That is not good at all," Mickey replied, "If the worlds fall apart, Kingdom Hearts will fall into ruin."

"Right."

Sora added, "So you're telling us that in order to repair the happy endings..."

"Happily ever afters," Riku corrected.

The teen Bearer rolled his eyes. "Same thing. What difference is there anyhow? Anyway, we need to make those couples fall in love again, I guess?"

"You are correct, Sora," replied Yen Sid.

"Well, why are we standing around for?" Donald snapped, "Goofy, we need to start the Gummi Ship."

"Aye aye, Captain," he said.

"Hold it!" Yen Sid ordered.

Donald froze. "What do you mean hold it? We got worlds to save, and no time to waste on it."

"Correct, but you can't do it alone."

"What do you mean by that?" Sora questioned, "We are the only ones here that know what is happening and what fate that will come of it."

"What Yen Sid means, Sora," explained Mickey, "is that you will be joined by one more Keyblader."

Sora's blue eyes widened. "There's one more?"

"Yes. My brother, Oswald, is training her on the islands of Caliva."

"Caliva?" Riku said, "I know that place. It's next to Destiny Islands from what I remember."

"Correct. Oswald is the king of those islands. She, your new partner, is his heir to the throne. She's really free-spirited, like you, Sora. She's just the girl we need. One more thing. Her name is Mikida."


	2. Chapter 1: Mikida

Mikida was a human that lived on Oswald's archipelago of Caliva as the eldest princess and heir to the kingdom. Oswald, the Lucky Rabbit and Mickey's older brother, was the king to the islands. He worked night and day to keep his kingdom in line, keep his queen, Ortensia, happy, raise his three children, Blue, Bonnie, and Ozzy, and train Mikida to be the next and the best queen Caliva has ever seen.

Mikida's biological parents worked for the Calivian Navy. For the past seven years, they had been out at sea. Mikida's father had been Oswald's leading captain for a long time, so it was more than an honor to leave Mikida in the hands to the king to Oswald's thinking. Mikida had always been upset about her family's leave. So upset that she considered Oswald and Ortensia as her parents and no one else.

Mikida had always had one privilege of being the adopted daughter of Oswald. Considering that she was older than her triplet adoptive siblings, she got to travel with Oswald to the other worlds, so Oswald could do his kingly business. She met a lot of characters from many different worlds. Over time, she gained some friends. What Mikida really wanted was her own happily ever after like her queen and princess friends.

Mikida sat in front of her vanity mirror, brushing her long, jet-black hair. She brushed it as slowly as she could. Her bangs covered part of her face which consisted one of her eyes. Her small nose could be seen. A tear crawled out of her golden eye and fell to the table. Mikida's face is pale with sorrow, and in her own mind, she believes that no one can heal her broken heart.

Oswald opened her chamber door slowly. He smiled at Mikida's golden beauty. "Hey, Kida," he said, "You'll never guess what came at last."

Mikida sighed heavily, a sign that she wanted her adoptive father outside of her room without another word.

Oswald's excitement faded quickly to see his heir's sadness. "Mikida? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she replied softly, "Just nothing."

Oswald hopped on her bed beside the vanity to get a good look at her face. "Now, Mikida, you can tell me anything, you know that."

Mikida sighed again. "I was in town, doing my chores today. There was this...man..."

"Ah, I see. Boy troubles."

"It's not really trouble. He works at the fish market by the sea. I thought he liked me. He gave me those eyes as if he did. Today, I saw him kiss this girl with blonde hair. She was pretty…prettier than me."

"I understand. Mikida, come sit."

Mikida moved from her vanity chair to her bed.

Oswald patted his ear on her neck. "Kida, you're only sixteen. Love will come to you. All you need is the right prince."

"Even if I meet a prince, he won't like me at all. I'm not pretty enough for him, Oswald."

"Mikida, you are the most beautiful girl in the whole world."

"You're only saying that to butter me up, right?"

"No, I'm not. Mikida, look at me."

Mikida turned away. She didn't want Oswald to see her cry. Oswald used his ear to turn Mikida's head. He used his other one to clear the teardrops off her face.

"Mikida, don't say that you're ugly ever because it is not true. What is true is that boys are purity hungry. They will take in the truly girls of this world and steal their inner beauty. Then, you never see them again. The man you need will have a pure heart. He wouldn't need yours."

"Like Aladdin?"

"Yes, except not married."

Mikida laughed, covering her ruby lips.

"He's out there, Kida, you need to open your eyes and your heart." Oswald stretched his arms out.

Mikida gave Oswald a hug. "Thanks, Oswald."

"If you need me," Oswald said, "I'll be there, Mikida, I promise."

"Oswald?"

"Yeah?"

"What were supposed to tell me?" Mikida asked.

"Oh!" Oswald took out an envelope. It had a Mickey stamp stamped on the back of it. "He wants you."

The day after the window-breaking incident at King Mickey's Castle, Mikida's day for apprenticeship had come. She had never been more excited in her life. Mikida couldn't stop staring at her Keyblade that Oswald had kept for her until she was thirteen years old. Mikida had trained by herself and with Oswald for the three years of adolescence. She was ready, and she knew that in her heart.

"Will you come home, Mikida?" asked her three bunny siblings.

"I won't be that far away," she answered, "Even if I can't, I will write to you."

The littlest triplet, Blue, started to crying.

"Blue? What's wrong?" Mikida picked him up as if he were a rag doll. "Come on, Blue, talk to me."

"I don't want you to go, Makidal." Since Blue was the baby, he couldn't speak accurately just yet. "Don't go, Makidal, please!"

"Don't worry, Blue. I'll think about you every day. All of you, the same."

Blue gave Mikida a hug. Bonnie and Ozzy hugged her legs. "We'll miss you," they cried.

"I will miss you, too." Mikida felt the urge to start crying as well, but she had to be brave for the young ones.

Ortensia took her children to the side. "Are you sure that you two will be all right?" she asked Oswald.

"Don't worry, sweetie," Oswald replied, "It's a fast, short trip in the ship." She kissed Ortensia on the cheek. "I'll be home before you know it."

"What about Mikida?" Bonnie exclaimed.

"She'll be visiting some time. She's a very busy girl." Oswald gave each of his children a hug before he hopped onto his Gummi Ship.

As the ship lifted, and the door closed, Mikida shouted, "Bye, Ortensia! Bye, Ozzy! Bye, Bonnie! Bye, Blue! I'll write to you all! I promise!"

"Bye, Mikida!" they called back.

Little did she know that Mikida's story was about to begin even though it was originally more training with Master Yen Sid. The training she was going to receive might've made or broke her.

"Kida, look outside!" Oswald called about an hour later.

Mikida opened her window of the Gummi Ship. She stuck her head out to see her Uncle Mickey's Castle. Her mouth dropped to the castle's white and crystal blue exterior. "Oswald, it's amazing!" she exclaimed, "I'm going to live here?"

"Yes, dearest. The masters are very well off in this castle."

"Well off? They're stinkin' rich!"

"Mikida, don't say that. It's rude."

Mikida ignored him and took a smell of the new world air. "Mikida, you are here at last," she said to herself.

The Gummi Ship landed at the dock of the castle. Engineers, Chip and Dale, ran to tie the ship down. They gave a thumbs up to Donald, who lowered the ship easily downward. The door lowered carefully to the deck. Oswald was the first to step out.

Mickey walked out of the corridor with excitement. "Ah, King Oswald, my big, dearest brother," Mickey said.

"Normally, subjects and other royalty would bow before me," Oswald replied nonchalantly.

Mickey apologized by bowing. There were no words that came out.

Oswald snickered. He pulled Mickey into a headlock and starting nudging on his head with his ear. "But you are always an exception, little brother."

"Let go of me, Oswald!"

Riku passed them by, trying not to laugh, but he was grinning. "And you must be the princess, Mikida," he said.

Mikida stood on the edge of the lowered door while still being in the ship. She bowed quickly in respect. "I am Mikida," she said shyly, "Are you who they call Master Riku?"

Riku nodded reached for Mikida's hand. Mikida was about to bow again in Riku's presence as she was raised to do so, but Riku said, "There is no need for that." He also kissed her hand and held it for three seconds. "I've already gotten too much."

Blushing, Mikida replied, "Yes, Master. I apologize, Master."

"And it's just Riku. I hate being called that from Sora."

Mikida bowed, asking for forgiveness. "A thousand pardons."

"Do you always talk like that?" Riku asked.

"Indeed. Ever since I was seven, I have been taught the ways and language of royalty."

"I'm sorry? I don't understand because you look like a middle class girl to me."

Oswald cut into the conversation and pulled Riku aside. "Mikida has been raised in my castle for nine years of her life. Her parents are my naval soldiers in the army. I don't know why both of them decided to leave their baby girl with me, but I took their parental responsibilities into my own hands for my own behalf. Over those years, I think Mikida wiped memories of her parents clean."

"What do you mean, your majesty?" Riku asked.

"I mean, she says that Ortensia and I are her parents now. She doesn't want to live in the past. Mention any of it, and she will not speak to you until she forgets the conversation even happened."

Riku bowed his head down to the deck. "I've been there," he said, "Sometimes, the past could be hard to just keep. I can understand that she wants you to be her parent much more. The best thing you can do is leave her here, you majesty. Sora and I will take care of her."

Oswald tried to smile. "I hope you will open her heart for me."

"We will try our best. We won't let you down, King Oswald."

"Very well. I must return home. Be good, Mikida, and take word from the masters!"

"I won't disobey, my king," she called back, "I love you, Oswald. Say hi to the others for me." As the Gummi Ship leaves, Mikida turned to Mickey and Riku once more. "Forgive me for my farewells."

"Nonsense," said Mickey, "Family is important."

"Come, Mikida," Riku said, taking her hand, "Master Yen Sid would love to see you in his quarters."

They traveled inside the castle to find the meeting place. The halls were brighter when the sun shined through the windows.

Mikida looked around, distracted from both of the masters. "It seems so much bigger than my castle back at home," she told King Mickey.

"I have a secret," he replied, pulling her in for a whisper, "It's bigger." He chuckled a few laughs. "Don't tell Oswald that. He'll get so mad at me for putting thoughts into your head."

Mikida's eyes turned wide. "I believe it."

Yen Sid's office doors opened as soon as Riku stood in front of them. Master Yen Sid was at his desk with his hands connected together. Goofy and Donald were at the sides of it, standing tall. Advisor, Jiminy Cricket, sat on the edge of the front half of Yen Sid's desk.

"Welcome, Mikida, to our castle," said Yen Sid.

Mikida bowed. "It is an honor, Master Yen Sid, to finally meet you in person."

"I see that you have already met Master Riku and his majesty. Let me introduce you to my court. On the sides of me are Donald and Goofy. In front of me is my advisor and record keeper, Jiminy Cricket."

"Hello," Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy all said.

Mikida bowed again. "How do you do?" she greeted.

"Always modest," Jiminy said, "What a trait."

"Is that bad?"

"Of course not." Goofy laughed until Donald nudged him in the ribs.

Mikida grinned nervously.

"The only person who seems to be missing is your partner, Sora," Yen Sid said.

"Typical Sora," Donald grumbled, "Always late for everything except a meal. No wonder he hasn't been made a master yet."

"Be nice, Donald," snapped Riku.

Speaking of Sora, he darted past Riku, gasping for breath. "I am so sorry, Masters," he said, "I completely lost track of time, and..." Sora cut himself off as he stared at Mikida to his left. "Oh, I apologize, miss. You must be..."

"Mikida, Sora," Yen Sid interrupted, "Princess Mikida, this is Sora, Mickey's and my other apprentice."

Mikida giggled. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Sora," she said, reaching for his hand.

Sora was frozen. He was hypnotized in Mikida's beauty that she had yet to take aware of. His mouth was open, but he couldn't speak. His lungs were tied together as his lips separated.

Mikida's smile went flat. "Are you alright, Sora?"

Sora's eyes widened in realization that he was being to. He took Mikida's hand and shook it quickly. "Oh? Yes. I apologize. Mikida, have we met somewhere else before?"

"I'm afraid not. This is the first time, Sora."

"Sora, what is up with you?" Riku asked.

"I'm sorry," Sora said, "I'm just out of it today. I guess I couldn't sleep is all."

Mikida laughed. "It's alright, sir. So when will my training commence, Master Yen Sid?"

"I'm afraid, Mikida, your training will involve your journeys as well," Master Yen Sid explained.

"I beg your pardon, Master. I don't understand."

Master Yen Sid stood up from his desk. "Riku, guide Sora and Mikida to the hall and explain from there."

"Yes, sir," Riku replied. He pointed Sora and Mikida out of the office. "Mikida, last night, we had a little world issue occur in our castle just hours before you arrived."

"Issue?" Mikida turned the corner to see the main hall. She sees most of the windows broken when it was only one that broke the night before. Since the first window broke, others have been smashed as well. "My goodness, what happened here?" she exclaimed.

"Each window represents a world's Bond," Sora explained, "When a window breaks, a Bond has been broken slightly."

"That's why we called you here," Riku continued, "We need you to help us repair the Bonds before Kingdom Hearts collapses."

"Bonds?" asked Mikida, "What are Bonds?"

"Happily ever afters." Riku picked up two mirror pieces of Snow White and Prince Florian. "You know how these two lived happily ever after, don't you?"

"Of course!"

"Well, they won't remember because something interfered with their Bond. They will only know the lives they had before they were married."

Mikida's eyes widened. "That's not good at all."

"That's why we called you here. We need a girl's touch to repair the Bonds."

Mikida glared.

"No offense."

"Humph. I don't take insults lightly, but I'm more than willing to save the world."

"That's the ticket," Sora cheered.

"Wait," Riku said in shock, "It's that easy for you? Mikida, this might be dangerous for all of us."

"In order for me to became the best Keyblader in the universe, I have to face all danger at all its costs. There is no room for fear in this journey."

"How much are you willing to pay?" Sora asked Mikida.

"My life, Sora. All of my life." Mikida pushed her hair back away from her face. "I hope you feel the same way. Don't you, Sora?"

"That's what being a Keyblader...is all about."

Donald, Goofy, Chip, and Dale had set up their Gummi Ship as Sora, Riku, and Mikida returned to the landing dock. King Mickey and Master Yen Sid also had been waiting for them.

"We are ready," said Sora.

"Very well," Yen Sid replied, "Your journey begins at take off."

Mikida nodded. Sora and her headed to the ship. Yen Sid put his hand on Riku's shoulder. Riku watched his friend and new apprentice go.

"Go with them," he said.

"What?" Riku asked.

"They need a guide. You are their only strength and light, Riku. Go with them."

Riku was hesitant at first, but he nodded in the end. "Yes, Master," he said. Riku faced the ship and walked in without another word in edgewise.

"We will not disappoint, your majesty," Donald and Goofy said to Mickey.

"I know, you won't," he replied, "Repair the Bonds."

"We will," Goofy said.

"Then, go."

The two went into the ship. The door closed behind them. The ship lifted into the heights of the sky. Mikida looked down from a window. In bare honesty, she was nervous. Kingdom Hearts's fate rested in the palms of her hands. It rested in Sora's hands. It rested in the hands of Riku, Goofy, and Donald as well. If all went wrong, the world of Kingdom Hearts would've be destroyed, all faults would've been on their shoulders, pushing them to the ground of disparity.


	3. Chapter 2: Sunshine in the Forest

"Where are we going first?" Mikida asked Donald, who was driving the ship.

"To the first broken happily ever after," he replied, "Snow White's Kingdom."

"It makes it easier to save the world by the first crack," Riku explained.

"I love Snow White's story," Mikida said, "I would love for somebody to come and kiss me awake like her prince did."

Sora snickered, and Mikida smacked his arm. "Ow!" Sora shouted, expressing his pain.

"You need to treat ladies with respect. Men don't mock women's opinions."

"I'm sorry, your majesty." Once he turned away, Sora rolled his eyes to the back of his head.

"Hey, don't argue back there," hissed Donald, "or I'll have to throw the both of you out into Gummi Space."

They grunted.

"Snow White's Kingdom, starboard bow!" Goofy called.

"Going in for landing," Donald announced. He steered the Gummi Ship into the world. The force of the landing blew the trees, bushes, and flowers around. The ship landed softly on a field without a crash. Donald pushed the door's button to open the door and lowered it to the grass. "Welcome to Snow White's Kingdom," he announced again.

Mikida was the first to exit the ship. She let in the flower scent into her nose. "Just as beautiful and vibrant as the last time I was here," she said with a sigh.

"Last time?" Sora asked "What does that mean? Last time?"

"My king makes trips to foreign words consistently. We visit a lot of places. I have a lot of friends in those worlds. Snow White is my best friend here. It's been a while since we talked though."

"How long ago was that?" Riku questioned.

"About a year ago to be precise."

Goofy whispered, "Talk about getting around," to Donald.

Donald nudges him in the torso.

Riku said, "In order to figure this out, we need to find Prince Florian and Snow White and create magic between the two."

"How easy is that?" Sora replied in question.

"It's not," Mikida answered, "Love at first sight isn't always accruable. We need to recreate how Snow White and Florian's story of how they met as far as I'm concerned."

"That's impossible!" Donald exclaimed.

"History does repeat itself. It has to work. If it doesn't, I don't know what will at this rate."

"She has a point," Goofy said.

A scream was heard from a distance. The others jumped.

"What was that?" Sora asked in shock.

"It came from the forest," Mikida said, "Let's go! Someone's in trouble!"

They ran into the forest. Nothing could be spotted. All the rescue group could hear was tweeting from birds.

"That's odd," Riku said, "We did hear something, didn't we?"

"I know, I did," Donald added.

A bush ruffled, and Mikida's Keyblade was ready. "Watch out," she said, "Probably the witch that is destroying this world."

Riku got out his Keyblade as well. "You stand back," he exclaimed, "If it is, you could get killed."

"I'm sixteen, thank you. I can handle myself just fine."

Out of the bush, a girl of age seven came out. She gasped at Mikida and Riku with their weapons out. However, she was only shocked, not scared. "Oh." She sighed in relief. "It's only people for a change."

Mikida lowered her Keyblade. "Look, Riku, it's a little girl."

"My mistake then," he said, putting his Keyblade away, "We are terribly sorry, miss."

"I'm all right," she replied. She raised her eyebrow. "I haven't seen you around before. Not subjects, are you? Who are you, and why are you here?"

Mikida curtsied. "I'm Mikida, princess of Caliva."

Riku bowed. "I'm Riku."

"Nice names," the girl said. She turned to Sora, Donald, and Goofy, "What are your names?" she asked. "I must know."

"I'm Sora."

"I'm Donald, and this is Goofy. We serve the king, Mickey."

"Oh, really? My daddy's a king, too. My name's Sunshine."

"Sunshine?" they all asked at once.

"I know. The black hair doesn't fit, but that's my name. I'm the princess of this kingdom." Sunshine curtsied. "Pleasure to meet you all."

"Wait, you said that you're the princess?" said Sora.

"Yup."

"That makes Snow White your mother," Mikida added.

"She is."

"So you're her daughter," Goofy said.

Sunshine rose an eyebrow. "Yeah? What about it?"

"We came here for the king and queen," Riku explained sternly, "It's very important."

"You're in luck with the king. I'm searching for my mom myself."

Sora raised an eyebrow himself. "She's not at the castle?"

"She ran. I saw my mommy and daddy arguing. Mommy kept saying that my daddy wasn't her husband. Then, she was gone in a heartbeat. I escaped the castle to look for her."

"We seem to know what's happening," Mikida said, "It seems your mother is suffering from a strange case of amnesia. Is your father acting strange as well?"

"The only strange he's been doing lately is polishing his own shoes. Other than that, he's fine."

A question mark hovered over Donald's head. "So it's only Snow White that lost her memory?" he asked. "That I don't understand."

"Not only that. My dad's been very sad, too."

"Sad how?" Goofy questioned, scratching his furry head.

"He barely talks, eats, and all he does is sleep. Daddy clutches his chest all the time, too. It's like he's in pain."

Mikida's eyes started to water. "This is worse than I thought. Sunshine, not only is your world in trouble, but your father is also at risk."

"My world?" Sunshine said in confusion. She started shaking like a leaf.

"You see, Sunshine," said Sora, preparing to explain with a sigh, "This world is powered by the Bond your parents share. When your mother, Snow White, lost her memory, the world has started to go into darkness."

Riku continued, "The light of the universe is powered by love and friendship. Love is the bigger source. If the love is gone, everyone's lives are at stake."

"I guess the twist we didn't see is hearts being broken."

"So that's what Yen Sid meant by broken Bonds. If the heart is broken..."

Mikida finished with, "The Bond is permanently destroyed."

"When hearts are gone," Donald explained, "Heartless start appearing."

"And darkness reigns over the universe forever."

Sunshine's shaking became worse. "That's awful," she cried, "Where's Mama? I want my mama!"

Mikida picked up Sunshine into her own arms as if she would hold one of her crying siblings. "Don't worry, Sun," she said, "We'll find her and stop this from happening."

Sunshine smiled, and her eyes were getting brighter. "Really?"

"Really. I'm always true to my word."

Loud crashing roared through the forest into the rescue party members' ears.

"What was that?" Goofy exclaimed.

Dark colored bodies, both large and short, pushed through the growth. Each of their heads and chests had a heart with cross bones through it. The lining of the heart and cross bones was red as blood.

Sunshine screamed. It was the same scream our heroes had heard from before. "It's them!" Sunshine said in her high pitched voice, "They took my mother from me!"

Riku took out his Keyblade. "Heartless!"

Sora got out his. "Donald, Goofy, we need you for backup. Mikida, get Sunshine out of here!"

"But I want to fight," Mikida complained.

"No need for complaints!" Riku snapped, "Make sure she's safe as your training begins!"

Mikida hid Sunshine against her chest. One of the fat Heartless pounded his fists onto the ground. Sora and Riku jumped.

"Man, these guys are dangerous," Sora said.

"You think?" Riku asked.

The other fat Heartless swiped his huge arm at the both of them. Sora jumped on a log while Riku somersaulted to the right. Riku slashed his Keyblade at one of the fat Heartless's feet. The Heartless tumbled over, and Riku stabbed it where the symbol was. Sora clanged his Keyblade onto a tree. He flipped backwards and pushed the second Heartless forward. To avoid getting squished, Mikida ran towards Donald and Goofy with Sunshine in her arms. The Heartless fell flat on his stomach. Sora stabbed the Heartless in the back with his Keyblade.

"And that ends you," Sora shouted.

"This has Maleficent written all over," Riku hissed.

"Maleficent?" Sunshine asked.

"Who's she?" questioned Mikida.

"She's an ugly witch who wants to put the world into darkness," Donald explained.

"She turns innocent people into Heartless by stealing their hearts," explained Goofy next, "And use them as her minions."

"She must have used the Heartless to steal Snow White's memory," Riku said.

"She must've given up on having people go on her side and went to destroying the source of love herself," Sora finished, "all together."

"Well, she won't get away that easily," Mikida snarled.

"Above you!" Sunshine screamed in warning.

Mikida looked up to see a skinny Heartless on the branches. It jumped downward. Mikida swiped out her Keyblade and sliced the Heartless into oblivion. "That ends you!"

Riku and Sora were amazed by Mikida's agility. "That's one tough princess," they said at the same time.

"I may be sugar and spice, but I'm not always nice," she replied.

"So those Heartless kidnapped your mother?" Donald asked Sunshine.

"Yes. I saw them while I was sleeping. My mother ran, but she never returned to the castle after she left," Sunshine answered.

"Then, we have no time to lose," Riku announced, "We need to find her before those Heartless get ideas."

"Where to start is the question," Goofy added.

"Somewhere dark and scary for sure," Sora said.

"There's the Forbidden Forest," Sunshine informed, "Nobody goes in there. Well, nobody smart I should say."

"Nobody except us."


	4. Chapter 3: Rescue Queen Snow White

Our heroes and Sunshine traveled into the Forbidden Forest. No light shined in the peak of day on or in that forest. Color showed purple and black as if it were night. The sound of haunting owls and howling winds stalked the Forbidden Forest's border. A curse laid in that wood. One went in, but one never returned. It was the risk that the heroes had to take in order to retrieve the queen of the world.

"This place was already giving me the creeps halfway there," Donald said, staring at the dark leaves of the trees.

"I know," Goofy replied, hiding behind his friend.

Sora added, "But the Heartless have to hide in here. It's the only place that only contains darkness."

"Will we save Mom before the curse gets to us?" Sunshine asked frightened.

Mikida scoffed. "There are no such things as curses, Sunshine. They only tell stories to scare people." Thunder cracked above the sky, and Mikida jumped.

"You were saying?"

"Sunshine, quiet."

"Stop arguing," ordered Riku, "We have to find Snow White, or else the whole world will be like this forest."

Everyone nodded and rushed inside. As soon as Donald entered, the light from the field disappeared. Donald quacked and ran to his friends. The environment of the Forbidden Forest was not quiet yet not loud. The wind howled, making Donald and Goofy shiver. Sora, Riku, and Mikdia had their Keyblades ready. Sunshine clutches onto Mikida's pants.

"Nothing creepy yet?" Sora questioned.

"What do you mean yet?" Donald snapped.

"I think I'm going to need extra pants," said Goofy.

"Keep your eyes open," Riku ordered, "There could be Heartless spying on us right now."

"They could be the trees believe it or not," Sunshine warned.

"Oh please." Sora scoffed. "Trees don't move."

At that moment, a branch reached for Donald's shoulder. Donald eye's glanced at it. He quacked a loud scream. He raised his wand and shouted, "Fire!" A flame bursted out of the tip and burned the tree to a crisp.

The others turned, armed. When they saw Donald in his fighting position, they could help but be annoyed. Riku smacked his forehead in shame. Sora tried not to laugh. Mikida shook her head in disappointment.

"It touched me," Donald peeped with embarrassment.

Sora smirked. He reached his arms out. "Uuuuuuuuuuuhhnn," he groaned, "I'm a walking tree, and I'm going to chop you up with my branches."

"Sora, cut it out!" Donald snapped.

"Donald Duck, you are my entrée!"

"Sora, I mean it!"

"I will eat you!"

"Sora, I will burn you, too!"

Sora laughed. "I was kidding, Donny."

"Well, no time for joking around," Mikida hissed, "We have a queen to save."

Thumping made the ground shake. "Explain that!" Goofy stammered.

Out of the pathway, two large Heartless trees stood out of the ground. Using their roots as legs, they trotted towards our heroes.

"Oh god!" Mikida shrieked.

"I'll stop them!" Donald announced, "Fire Scorn!" The wand blasted a storm of flames. The fire burned the Heartless away. "That was close."

Sora sighed. "I admit, that scared me," he said.

"If Heartless are here," Riku said, "the queen is, too."

"I'm coming, Mommy!" Sunshine called.

Mikida picked Sunshine up for a piggyback ride. "We got no time to waste."

They ran further into the forest. They managed to get to the heart without wasting Donald's fire energy. Heartless surrounded a campfire as tall as bushes. A cage sat at the center of the Heartless group. A woman who looked like Sunshine, wearing a yellow, blue, and red dress, tried to break the cage open, but it was no use of success.

"The queen," Goofy said with a gasp.

A fat Heartless pushed the cage of wood closer to the fire. Snow White screamed in fear.

"Mommy!" Sunshine shrieked. She jumped off Mikida and ran towards the Heartless.

"Sunshine! Get back here!" Riku shouted.

Sunshine ignored him completely. She pulled out a knight's sword from her belt. "Let my mom go!"

The Heartless looked down at the princess. Sunshine made the first move, striking a Heartless almost as tall as her. The Heartless brushed the sword away with his arm without injury. The sword escaped Sunshine's grip and struck a tree trunk. Her eyes grew wide.

"Uh oh."

"Sunshine, run!" Snow White shouted.

Sunshine refused. "I can't! Not without you!"

A Heartless grabbed Sunshine by the collar of her dress. His claws pierced at her chest. Sunshine screamed for mercy.

Mikida dashed out of hiding and struck the Heartless in the back. "Not on my watch, Blacky!"

Sora's mouth dropped agape. "What a woman."

"Yen Sid wasn't kidding when he said Mikida has done a lot of training already," Riku said to Sora.

Sora nodded in agreement.

Mikida swiped her Keyblade around the campfire until every single Heartless was dead and gone. She breathed deeply. "Don't mess with royalty," she said so softly that nobody heard her. Mikida chopped the lock off of the cage and cracked the door open for Snow White. "You are free, your majesty."

Snow White exited the cage and away from the fire for safety. "That was close."

Sunshine ran into her mother's arms. "Thank goodness, I found you," she said, almost crying.

"Thank goodness you're safe. Come on, we have to get our of this place. The forest we must go."

"No, Mommy, we have to go home to the castle!"

"Sunshine, the castle is for a princess. You are not one."

"Yes, I am, and you're the queen!"

Mikida stepped in. "Snow, you're daughter is telling the truth," she explained, "You're the queen, married to the king. Sun here is the princess of the kingdom. The Heartless took your memory away, so that's why you don't remember a thing."

Sora butted in. "The Heartless want to destroy your world by breaking the Bond you and the king share. He is dying, your highness."

"If we don't get your memory back soon, this world will be covered in darkness forever," Riku finished.

Snow White was quiet for a moment. "I don't know what to make of this," she said at last, "I'm...important?"

"Yes, your majesty. You're safe return will be provided by us. We were sent to rescue you. Please come with us to the castle."

"Is this another trap?"

"Snow, I'm your best friend," Mikida said, "I would never trick you into anything evil. I promise on the behalf of both of our kingdoms." Mikida stretched her hand out. "Please, Snow. Believe me. Believe us."

The queen shivered. She lifted her pale hand. It was trembling with fear. Sunshine pushed her mother's hand towards Mikida's. Her pleading look made Snow White believe in Mikida's explanation. Snow White grabbed Mikida's hand tightly.

"Don't worry, Snow," Mikida said some more, "We're going to fix this ASAP..."

A huge crash made everyone fall to the ground. The trees shook, and the black leaves fell from their branches.

"What was that?" Donald exclaimed.

"Something's coming!" Riku warned.

"Yuk! This is not good," Goofy said, "Not good at all."

The dark trees behind them started falling. The last two trees behind our heroes and rescued collapsed, and a huge, fat Heartless with tree trunks for arms and leaves for hair appeared.

"Holy cow!" whined Sora. "We might need a lot of fire for this fight."

"To defeat him?" Donald exclaimed, "That won't be enough!"

The Heartless pounded his fists on the ground. The patch of grass lifted, causing the group to tumble around like tumbleweeds. The campfire spread around the area, causing the forest to set in flames like a volcano.

"We're trapped!" Riku shouted.

"Donald, blow us a Blizzard!" Sora ordered.

"I can't," Donald said, pointing his wand, "The fire is too strong. Fire melts snow!"

"Don't you have water powers?" Mikida asked.

"No, princess, I don't."

"You're lucky you have me. Get around. This Heartless could be anywhere without our sight in tact."

Her new friends gathered round, shaking like blown branches.

Mikida closed her eyes. She could hear the Heartless's footsteps around the fire. The footsteps stopped in front of her. Those steps started coming toward her. "Rain!" she shouted as she lifted her Keyblade into the air.

Water started coming down like waterfalls. The fire cleared, and the Heartless was frozen in a pouncing position.

"Now, Donald!"

Donald pointed his wand and shouted, "Blizzard!" The snowflake tapped the Heartless, freezing him. "Fire!" Donald shouted some more. Fire sprayed out of the wand. It burned the giant Heartless down to ashes. Donald blew the extra smoke off of his wand. "That oughta show you."

From the ashes, a golden glow appeared.

"Wak? What is that?"

The glow flew past Donald and Mikida. It went to Snow White. The flow slowly dissolved in her chest where her heart was supposed to be. The queen felt faint in the head. Sunshine caught her mother before she would fall.

"Snow, are you all right?" Mikida asked in concern.

"I'm fine, Mikida," she replied. Snow White looks around the burnt Forbidden Forest. "My goodness, what happened here? Where am I? Sunshine, your dress!"

Sunshine finally noticed how dirty her dress was after the fight. There were stains from the top down to the edges. "Oh, my dress."

"Your father will be furious when he sees it. Speaking of him...Oh gosh, he must be worried sick." Snow White grabbed Sunshine's hand. "We must hurry!" She started running, dragging Sunshine behind her.

Sora gave Riku a strange look. "What just happened?"

Riku just shrugged, caring less about Snow White's sudden change of thought. "What are we waiting for? Let's go to the castle."

All of them head over to the castle of Snow White and King Florian. They went into the master bedroom to see the king in bed.

"Florian..."

His Majesty sat upright as if he heard a ghost. "Snow White." A tear formed in his eye. He hugged his queen so tightly that he didn't let go. "I was so worried about you."

"I'm fine," Snow White said, "I was concerned about you."

"Why, I'm fine. I just had some strange heartache."

"Well, everything's better now thanks to Mikida and her friends," Sunshine replied, chipper as a bird.

The king and queen turned to the others. They all bowed in their presence.

"It was an honor, your majesties," Mikida said.

"You all have done a noble deed, returning my wife to me," King Florian announced, "You deserve a reward beyond rewards." He went to his treasure case on the dresser. He pulled out a blue and gold key. "Take this key. If you wish to return to my kingdom, this shall get you here in guidance."

Mikida took the key into her hands and gripped onto it. "This is an honorable gratitude, sir. We shall guard it with our lives."

"What is that?" Sora asked.

Mikida's eyes jerked open and wide. "How do you not know what a World Key is?" she replied in astonishment. "This Key can be put into any Gummi Ship, and you can travel to a world without the harmfulness of traveling by space."

"Mikida's right," Donald said to Sora, "It is very useful if we want to come back for emergencies."

"Then, that's cool with me," Sora responded.

"Please do return," said Sunshine, "You are grateful friends of the kingdom now."

Mikida kissed Sunshine's forehead. "Thank you so much, Princess Sunshine. Take care of your mother and father now."

"Oh, I will. I will make sure this never happens again."

"Good. This world needs a princess like you."

"Come on," Riku said, "Let's get going. There's probably another world to save by now."


End file.
